In order to implement communication fault tolerance, and in some cases increase data throughput, a computer system may couple to a network by way of a plurality of communication ports (hereinafter just ports), with the ports either implemented on a single network interface card (NIC) or the ports implemented on multiple NICs. The communication ports are “teamed” such that, regardless of the actual number of ports, the ports appear as a single port to an application level program.
In some cases distribution of inbound client-sourced message packets is by virtue of a software driver intercepting computer system responses to address resolution protocol (ARP) request messages from the clients, and selectively assigning media access control (MAC) addresses such that each client is given a particular port with which to communicate, however, MAC address assignments (and therefore port assignments) to each client by a software driver intercepting the ARP request messages causes the client to lose connection to the computer system if the assigned port has a communication fault. In order to regain communication to the client the computer system sends a gratuitous ARP reply directing all clients to communicate with a single port. As ARP timeouts occur and each individual client sends an ARP request message, the computer system again performs ARP intercept and load balances the remaining active ports across the clients.